A gunman killed a social media influencer during a live stream in Mexico’s volatile northwestern state of Sinaloa, authorities said Wednesday. The influencer, César Gastélum, was killed on Tuesday night in Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan, officials said.
Investigation Ongoing
Mexican authorities implied the killing of the young man was linked to cartel violence but did not blame any particular group. A video of the moment of his death shows him laughing with two other men in the parking lot of a Kentucky Fried Chicken when two men pull up on a motorcycle. One is seen pulling out a gun and shooting Gastélum. The attackers then flee the scene.
Mexico’s Security Cabinet and local prosecutors said an investigation was ongoing, and that it appeared Gastélum had released some videos in which he “alluded to a faction of a criminal group.” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told journalists during her morning news conference on Wednesday that the “perpetrators must be arrested.”
Gastélum had more than 650,000 followers on TikTok, and more on Instagram and other social media platforms and would regularly post comedy videos and content layered over Mexican regional music. He at times referred to himself in his videos as “bélico,” a term often used in subcultures in Mexico to imply a connection to cartel culture.
Local news organizations published photos Wednesday of candles laid next to blood stains on the ground where he was shot. It was the second time in little more than a year that a content creator was fatally shot by gunmen on a live stream.
Officials believe the killings are part of a larger trend by criminal groups to target influencers, especially in regions like Sinaloa and Jalisco dominated by organized crime. Mexican security analyst David Saucedo said influencers are killed or threatened for a wide range of reasons. In some cases, the targeted influencers may have had ties to one criminal faction in a disputed region, or romantic relationships with cartel members.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
